Bornean Bald Laughing-Thrush (Melanocichla calva)...the unexpected find

I wanted it from the first moment I laid eyes on its illustration in the first edition of Phillipps' Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo. Such an ambitious wishful thinking on my part I guessed. I mean, who wouldn't. Wouldn't you?

Given of its rarity, I told myself "never know". Well, I told myself that all the time. My sort of confidence booster I guessed. I would sometimes told my hubby that I'm just gonna root myself at my favorite spot and let the birds come to me, hahaha. Lazy, no. It's just that my feet sometimes refused to obey my command.

And the "never know" situation greeted me unexpectedly on my recent trip to KNP.
An unexpected find on a chillingly windy day.

Its red beak was so distinguishable even from a far. I was just lucky enough to get record shots of it before it disappeared.












Like I said, these are just record shots.
This translates to...
I need to meet up with this fella again to get better shots.
And again, like I said before...
"never know" ;)

The quest for the Hooked-billed bulbul...

22 January 2011
Klias Peatswamp Field Centre, Beaufort


God!
I thought I almost died from exhaustion.
It was very hot.
It was high noon.
Hubby and I were on the 3km long boardwalk within the Klias Peatswamp Field Centre.
We met up with the rest of the gang at the Bird Tower before going the opposite way.
We almost reached the circular shelter when I heard hubby talking on the phone with Jay, "hooked-billed bulbul, ok-ok, the place just now, ok-ok".

We turned around immediately.
Hubby started to run. I started to walk briskly. I'm not light on my feet.
He kept looking behind while running. I signalled him to just move ahead.
I no longer see him. I practically dragged my feet.
A few more feet. A few more feet. That's what I kept telling myself during that long walk, a 100 metre walk to the next shelter.

I thought they will be at the Bird Tower but no one was in sight.
I was almost reduced to tears coz it's been a while since I do some walking.
In an attempt to trick my mind, I looked at my feet while walking instead of looking at the long boardwalk.

Upon reaching one of the corners of the boardwalk, I could hear laughter. Loud and clear laughter. That can only mean one thing. The bird is no longer there and the gang are looking at each other's camera in an attempt to best out everyone else's photos.
And I thought, "Geezz, there goes my opportunity".

I noticed that hubby did not joined in the gang's merriment and when I asked "got it?", he shook his head confirming my suspicion.

Frustration seeping in, I leaned against the wooden railing, closed my eyes and took heaps and heaps of long slow breathing. Slowly in, slowly out. I thought I was going to pass out by then.

Then all of a sudden, George called out, he sighted the Hooked billed bulbul again. Mustering all the strength I had left, I quickly dash to George. I had difficulty pinpointing the location of the bird, my eyes were still burned out from the heat of the sun. The only thing I could do is to look out at the leaves' movement. And then I saw it, perching quite far away. "Record shot, at least a record shot", was what I told myself over and over again.

And these are my record shots of this elusive bird...








If not for Seng who had posted this bird photo in his facebook, Hooked bill bulbul, I guessed we would not have this bird in our collection that soon...


Seng...our beloved friend and brother...
taken away much too soon from us...
without saying a word...
without bidding us farewell...

Seng...
this posting is dedicated to your memory...
rest peacefully in your eternal sleep Lil' brother...

Another lifer...the Whitehead's spiderhunter

If not for Jay, I don't think I would be able to see them this soon, let alone photograph them.

But luck is on our side that day. I couldn't believed it when Jay hollered 'spiderhunter' to hubby and started pointing his hand to the top of the fruiting tree.

I squinted my eyes trying to locate their movements coz by that time the sky was overcast and the rain somehow picked that very moment to start drizzling. My heart started to race faster and I think I even willed the rain not to pour as this is the first time I've seen this most elusive bird. Ignoring the gloomy sky and the cottonish background, I started to shoot at will.

I'm not proud of these photos but I just could not refrain myself from sharing my accomplishment.

Please be warned though. These record shots were heavily cropped and tweaked.



Whitehead's spiderhunter (Arachnothera juliae)












Good...not even close...
Proud...oh oookay...just a little bit...
Relief...a definite yes...
And Jay, least I forgot to thank you...
Yeah, yeah...I could hear it...Teh C Ping...
Thank you my friend...
You're the man...:D

A beautiful lifer...the Long-tailed broadbill

Of late we would normally travel in a group of people but on this particular trip, there's only hubby and myself, and this translates to only 2 pair of eyes to spot the birds and only 2 sets of ears to hear and distinguish their callings and singing. We are greatly at a disadvantage I'm afraid. Unperturbed, we can only hope that the feathered ones would grant us an audience.


The Long-tailed broadbill and the Whitehead's Spiderhunter are the star birds that has been on my wish list for since so long and Tambunan has graciously granted this wish. It was not an easy accomplishment I have to admit. Well, bird photography never is and never will. That being said, so, please do excuse us if we are a bit 'protective' with our precious photos as we put out our sweat and blood for them, seriously...


And only on the 3rd attempt...
on the 3rd sightings...
on the 3rd trip to Tambunan this month...
Only then I managed to get decent shots of this beautiful lifer...
...the Long-tailed broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae)


















Decent shots, yes...
Good shots, not yet...
Killer shot, wishful thinking...
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to guess where we're going this weekend...:D

Inflight Practice Shot...Again...

It's been a while since I last blogged...
April 2010 to be precised...
Hhhmmm...if that could aptly described 'a while'...:D

It was a day after Christmas...
Hubby was early to rise...
I was also early to wake but I refused to rise...
My lazy bone ruled that morning...

The moment I woke up, hubby asked me if I wanted to follow him to look for the Tufted Duck...
Our friend Jay is already at the pond looking for them he told me...
Being away from birding for a long period, and with no apparent plan for the day, what better way to waste the day off...
And a good opportunity to test my new assault weapon...
the 7D...courtesy of Mr J...:D

I was quite disappointed tho...
The Tufted Duck decided not to grant me with an audience...
And the sun...oh my...the sun was unmercifully bright and blinding...
The heat from the asphalt road was unforgiving...
And the pesky mosquitoes are most unwanted...

I was standing in front of Jay, squinting my eyes through the heat...
He was looking through his bino when I noticed a shadow on the water...
I looked up and thought it was the Egret...
But it's a bit small, was what I thought...
I kept on taking my eyes off the eye piece just to locate the flying bird...
Then I heard Jay said...'wow, it's the tern'...
I gunned the shutter button furiously then...
The tern was circling away crazily...it was feeding on the insects on the pond's surface...
I kept on gunning the shutter button until I felt I could not pressed it any more...
I thought there's something wrong with my camera...
I thought I have maxed out the CF card...
Then I heard Jay said...'push your ISO'...he must have noticed that I am not clicking anymore...

It's not easy...hubby said...shooting white object...
The camera got confused...Jay added...
Phewwww...what a mightly relief that was to me...
It was not the camera at fault after all...
It was my limited technology knowhow...:D


Some of my shots of the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)...























I'm taking a liking to it you know...
Taking inflight shots...
All I have to do is practice...
Practice makes perfect...
That's what hubby always told me...
He walks the talk...
His work says it all...
Nothing but the best for him...
Nothing but the best for a perfectionist...